Organization Smorganization

Congratulations!  You are engaged.

Now, when is your date?  Location?  The color magenta or fuchsia?  How much do you plan to spend?  Have you asked your bridesmaids yet?

Yes, these questions will hit you the second you get that gorgeous stone placed on your finger and from personal experience you may want to hide in the corner of your room while rocking back and forth.  Have no fear lovebird!  I have some simple tools to keep you organized and to give you a gentle nudge in the right direction.  I also promise not to ask any questions.  Just think of me as your wedding fairy Godmother.

When my best friend got engaged, the first thing I did besides hug her and cry was go out and purchase a giant three ring binder.  Yes, this may be old fashioned to keep a binder but she was prepared.  We added dividers and made the cover of the binder really cute by adding photos and doodling. Summer would print off things, take notes, rip out pictures from magazines and glue them onto paper to remember her favorite ideas.  This notebook was her inspiration, notes and hard work. Plus once the wedding was over it was a great keepsake!

Some of you may be a more technological bunch and want to keep up with things online. Below are some wedding websites that have great organizational tools to keep you on a timeline.

This first organization checklist is from The Knot. This checklist includes everything that you can think of plus it also allows you to add new items to customize it to your style of planning.  You add something as simple as start teeth whitening strips at 3 weeks prior to the wedding or something larger like research honeymoon destinations for the best deal.  Another added bonus is you can set reminders. Each reminder can be customized as a scheduled alert for a specific date and time.

I love the advertising here.  If you look closely, you can see the Slim Fast ad.  Nice.

Next we have a checklist from mywedding.  This was the website that I used plus my own notebook.  Mywedding's website is clean and not cluttered.  This checklist used my style of marking through what you have completed.  It gives you a sense of accomplishment.  It also allows you to add tasks to your list plus gives you the option to print off a PDF of your checklist.  It makes for a good visual reminder.

Lastly we have a checklist from Martha Stewart Weddings. Oh Martha, I love you. With this checklist you can edit the task on the list to make the text reference things for your wedding.  Their are even coupons on great deals at the top of the list for other sites. You can search for a task by category, month or assignee.  Yes, they give you the option of assigning tasks to other people. This can be helpful for encouraging your groom to look into groomsmen gifts or decide what food to have at the rehearsal.  Another feature is being able to export, email and print your list. This can help by emailing it to your maid of honor and bridesmaids for assistance in getting things completed.  It also tells you the percentage of items that you have finished.

Always know that regardless of how large your checklist may seem, your wedding is about you and your fiance. You should have the time of your life! Organization is key but should not be a stressful thing. Just look at it as a helpful way to assist you in making your wedding a beautiful reality.

I hope that everyone is having a great Saturday with loved ones!

 (P.S. - If you ever have questions, please email me:lovebirdproduction@gmail.com.  Even if your question is about a flower type or how to get your mother-in-law to back off, I want to help!)